Have you ever noticed that your PC is getting slower. Ever wonder why? Whenever you visit a website, they use the "Innocent" cookies to allow you to log in or to access their website. Cookies are used for more then just that. Google Analytics use cookies and other surreptitious methods to track your browsing history so they can target advertising designed just for you.
In light of the NSA's spying on Americans and Google's nosiness, these invasive actions have caused Americans to try and protect their Internet privacy. Pew Research says that 86% of Internet users try to delete or mask their digital footprints. They do so by logging onto networks that cut-off their IP addresses, clear their cookies, and encrypt their emails.
Presumably these fears are also driven by the fact that 21% of Internet users have had their email or social media accounts hacked. So no one is safe.
Proof: Just look at how Internet sites use cookies against you; here are just a few of the most notorious:
Even when you delete these cookies, they mysteriously re-appear after you delete them - even after there consecutive deleting operations. DoubleClick is a perfect example:
Here's what people have tried to protect themselves:
Source: Pew Research
What Else Can You Do?
- Encrypt your email
- Encrypt your chats
- Use Private Browsing
- Use a password manager
These are a few ways you can thwart the STEALING of your personal information. Good luck, you'll need it.